1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of computers and, more particularly to a method, programmed medium and system for identifying and configuring computer peripherals.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of computers, especially personal computers (PCs) is widespread. The computing power of the PC, whether operating as a stand alone device or as part of a computer network, has increased significantly over the years. This increased computing power is attributable to the newer designs of today""s computer architectures. While the newer designs have consistently increased computing power, they also increase the complexity of the programs that run the computer. That is, operating systems, such as Microsoft MSDOS(copyright) and Microsoft WINDOWS(copyright) 95, have become more complex over the years. As a result, the installation and configuration of a new computer has also increased in complexity.
Today, due to the complexity of the computer architectures and operating systems, most computers are assembled and configured by qualified technicians of the computer manufacturer, retailer or wholesaler. For example, when a customer purchases a PC from a computer manufacturer such as Micron Electronics, a technician or engineer of the manufacturer is responsible for assembling and configuring the PC to meet the customer""s specifications. The assembly and configuration may include installing computer peripheral devices, such as a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) drive, and the software, typically referred to as a driver, required by the PC to properly interface with and operate the peripheral device.
The configuration of the computer will also involve the installation of a hard drive, which serves as the main storage medium for the computer, and the operating system, which controls the operation of the computer. Typically, due to the increasing size of today""s operating systems, they are installed and stored on the hard drive. Generally, most operating systems are installed from a CD-ROM and thus, the CD-ROM drive is typically installed before the operating system is installed.
Today, there are several types of CD-ROM drives, such as the integrated device electronics (IDE) and small computer system interface (SCSI) drives. There are also numerous manufacturers of CD-ROM drives. Often times, each manufacturer, has multiple CD-ROM models, which may have their own individual drivers, particularly when the drive type is IDE. The technician or engineer is faced with the problem of installing one of these CD-ROM drives into the computer. The technician must also insure that the computer identifies the drive type, make and model and then loads the correct driver without having a user interface, such as the interfaces displayed by operating systems like Microsoft MSDOS(copyright) and Microsoft WINDOWS(copyright) 95, at the time the drive is installed. Thus, there is a desire and need for a method that automatically, and without user intervention, identifies and configures computer peripherals such as CD-ROM drives when they are initially installed into a computer in the absence of a user interface, such as the interface provided by Microsoft MSDOS(copyright) or Microsoft WINDOWS(copyright) 95.
Moreover, once the computer is in the hands of the user, malfunctioning software or a mistake by the user could result in the failure of the operating system. The user would then be tasked with re-installing the operating system from a CD-ROM that was delivered with the computer. However, if the operating system is malfunctioning, the computer will not be operational and thus, unable to communicate with the CD-ROM drive. Thus, the user would also have to re-install the CD-ROM drive. The user would be required to insert an emergency boot disk to allow the computer to become partially operational. Once the PC is partially operational, the user would then need to identify the CD-ROM type, make and model. Once the drive type, make and model are identified, the user would need to load the driver for that device. A typical user, however, is unable to perform these tasks and thus, would need to have a professional to re-install the operating system and configure the computer. This could be very costly to the user and would also take time to have the repairs done. Also, due to the number of different CD-ROM types, makes and models, the memory of the boot disk would be wasted by including all of the drivers on the boot disk and thus, additional disks would be required for the user to load the correct device driver. This increases the user""s inconvenience. Thus, there is a desire and need for method that automatically, and without user intervention, identifies and configures computer peripherals such as CD-ROM drives when they are being re-installed into a computer in the absence of a user interface, such as the interface provided by Microsoft MSDOS(copyright) or Microsoft WINDOWS(copyright) 95.
The present invention provides a method, programmed medium and system for automatically, and without user intervention, identifying and configuring computer peripherals such as CD-ROM drives when they are initially installed into a computer.
The present invention also provides a method, programmed medium and system for automatically, and without user intervention, identifying and configuring computer peripherals such as CD-ROM drives when they are being re-installed into a computer.
The above and other features and advantages of the invention are achieved by a method, programmed medium and system that determines if a computer operating without a functioning operating system contains an IDE type CD-ROM device. If it is determined that the computer contains an IDE type CD-ROM device, the user is prompted with device type, make and model identifiers and a driver common to all IDE type CD-ROM devices is loaded from a programmed medium into the computer without any user intervention. If it is determined that the computer does not contain an IDE type CD-ROM device, it is determined whether the computer contains a SCSI type controller for a SCSI type CD-ROM device. If it is determined that the computer contains a SCSI type controller and thus, a SCSI type CD-ROM device, the user is prompted with the identity of the SCSI type controller and a driver associated with the identity of the SCSI type controller is loaded from a programmed medium into the computer without any user intervention. By using a driver common to all IDE type CD-ROM devices instead of the numerous individual IDE drivers, the method of the present invention can be incorporated into a single boot disk which can be used during installation, re-installation and emergency situations.